IAN HERBERT AT THE OVAL: There was something telling about Tim Paine sitting down to say that his terrible record with the decision review system might require him to 'enrol in umpire school'.

Australia may have retained the urn but couldn't do enough to win the 2019 Ashes series as England clinched a 135-run fifth Test victory to level the scores.

Both men have been staples of the cricketing world since their debuts in the 1970s, but were - in their own words - 'being retired' after the TV network did not renew their contracts.

Channel Nine is reportedly 'unsatisfied' with Sunrise host Edwina Bartholomew's apology after she 'defamed' journalist Seb Costello in a since-deleted Twitter post.

Donald Butler's daughter Nicolle, 27, had recently passed away, with family staying nearby in Tampa, Florida, for the funeral when his truck disappeared with his daughter's urn inside.

England have set a minimum target of 425 points in their quest to reach the inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's in 2021. Joe Root's team claimed 56 from the 2-2 draw in the Ashes.

Steve Smith assured Jack Leach in the aftermath of the final Test that he was not poking fun at him when he donned glasses to celebrate Australia's Ashes triumph.

A cricket supporter has been forced to get a very embarrassing tattoo after Australia failed to win the 2019 Ashes. 

Joe Root has declared his desire to continue as England Test captain despite a failure to win back the Ashes from Australia after a drawn series.

Cricketer Nathan Lyon, 31, and his girlfriend Emma McCarthy couldn't take their eyes off each other as they touched down in Australia on Wednesday evening. 

Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew resumed her broadcasting duties on Monday, after her 'errant tweet' about Seb Costello earlier this month caused a legal headache for Channel Seven executives

A man's body has been found in the ashes of a suburban Melbourne home which had been subject to a council clean-up order to clear towering piles of junk.

Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand on the way to England's maiden World Cup title and then crashed a barely-believable 135 not out to keep the Ashes alive at Headingley.

Candice and David Warner have been enjoying plenty of family time since their return from England following The Ashes series.

England's top cricketer was seen with his hand on Clare Stokes's face at the Professional Cricketers' Association party in London last Wednesday.

Karen Twilley, from Hertfordshire, wishes to be buried alongside her son Ted, when she dies. His ashes were buried in consecrated ground by mistake at Cheshunt Cemetery in 2004.

The all-rounder, who took 5-46 in the first innings of the fifth Test against England, was dismissed in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania on Sunday and took his frustration out immediately.

Ms McCarthy travelled to England to support the off spin bowler as he represented Australia in the Cricket World Cup and Ashes between May and September.

EXCLUSIVE BY LAURA LAMBERT: Sky is being investigated by Ofcom for three separate incidents of the word 'f***' being audible during its cricket coverage this summer. Sky declined to comment.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN WHANGAREI: Chris Woakes intends to make himself undroppable as England weigh up whether to pick him or Sam Curran at No 8 in next week's first Test against New Zealand.

Stokes has enjoyed an unforgettable year, playing a starring role in the historic World Cup victory at Lord's then producing one of Test cricket's greatest ever innings in the Third Ashes Test.

Ben Stokes has revealed being sledged relentlessly by David Warner was the motivation behind his stunning match-winning century against Australia at Headingley in August.

It has been a long slog for David Beckham and the power brokers behind Inter Miami but next March, they will finally see their vision become a reality. 

Ten of the UK's most iconic oaks, sycamores and pines have been shortlisted for the 2019 Tree of the Year award. One on the Isle of Wight, that is shaped like a dragon, was listed.

The 1000-year-old Allerton Oak in Calderstones Park, Liverpool, will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year contest which begins in February.

After playing an angel and God himself, where else can you go? To the Dark Ages - that's where Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi are headed next in season two of TBS's Miracle Workers.

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Make no mistake: BJ Watling, who brought up his eighth Test hundred an hour into the evening session, played superbly.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RICHARD GIBSON: England's greatest ever bowler Jimmy Anderson is fit again and is targeting the 2021 Ashes series which begins in November that year.

NASSER HUSSAIN: There is no doubt Joe Root is a phenomenal batsman. The point has always been whether the captaincy is in his or, crucially, England's best interests.

The 37-year-old Lancashire seamer managed just four overs in the Ashes last summer due to a recurring calf injury but has proved his fitness on a pre-tour fitness camp.

An abandoned baby deer (left) has been miraculously pulled from the ashes of the devastating bushfires without injury.    

Craig Overton, Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood are said to be the pace trio identified for the long-term care programmes which the ECB are planning to put in place in a bid to regain the Ashes.

In the first of our series looking back at the greatest moments of the sporting year, we reflect on Ben Stokes's incredible innings in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.

With another year's end came another installment of SPOTY, as England cricket star Ben Stokes picked up the honour. Sportsmail went behind the scenes to capture the special moments on reel.

Sky Sports breached Ofcom's broadcasting rules on swearing during their cricket coverage this summer, but have been cleared over David Gower using the f-word in his final Test.

NASSER HUSSAIN: Jofra Archer was so exceptional in the way he burst on to the scene that everyone assumed he was the finished article and would soon be the next Kagiso Rabada or Dale Steyn.

Siddle, 35, made his debut in 2008, took 221 Test wickets at an average of 30.66 apiece, and played his last Test in the fifth and final match of this year's Ashes series in England, which England won.

The change has long been debated by cricket pundits and fans but traditionalists have so far been able to resist calls for modernisation. But there is an ever-increasing workload on players.

Mo Bobat says winning is more important than the strength of the teams defeated when England Lions begin their tour of Australia next week.

James Lattimer, 51, was accused of kissing the woman and allegedly 'grabbed her bum cheek' during the England v India test match on 9 August 2018.

EXCLUSIVE: This week Sir Ian Botham will join friends at an Adelaide vineyard to help scatter the ashes of his great mate and longtime brother-in-arms Bob Willis.

Companies rising out of the ashes to avoid paying tax, wages and other debts will face a crackdown when regulators get increased powers.

England's Instagram account posted a compilation of Stuart Broad bowling David Warner out during the Ashes (pictured) after the batsman won Australian cricketer of the year.

A new documentary on the Australian cricket team has captured the moment when the worst was feared for Steve Smith after he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer in last year's Ashes series.

A large crowd of English cricket fans were seen taunting the Australian team as they boarded their bus during the Ashes tour in 2019.

EXCLUSIVE BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: Dom Sibley recalls the moment he wondered whether he was good enough to be an England opener. He'd just been caught behind for four.

EXCLUSIVE BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: Stokes and Leach pulled off an incredible run chase at Headingley in 2019 by chasing more than they had ever managed to keep Ashes alive.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: When Marnus Labuschagne walked out to bat through the Lord's pavilion on the final afternoon of the second Ashes Test last August, he attracted strange looks.

Ben Stokes is glued to the aftermath of his miracle at Headingley on television and, revealingly, finds his thoughts immediately turning to the opposition. 'I remember watching this in The Test,' says Stokes.

NASSER HUSSAIN: You have to think outside the box at times like this and Sky had the idea of trying to emulate Gogglebox with their look at the last day at Headingley.